Tomato & Avocado Toast

I came across this recipe yesterday (sorry, I don't remember where) and decided to make it immediately. I was not disappointed. The original recipe was a little fussy, so this is my version. It's so simple and packed with summery flavors!

Tomato & Avocado Toast
Serves 2 as a main course sandwich.

Ingredients:
2 large slices quality, hearty bread
2 small, very ripe avocados
juice of 1 lemon
4 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 package small tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
fresh basil, roughly torn (optional)

Directions:
1. In a shallow pan, drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes, either on a grill or in an oven preheated to 350, until skin starts to pucker (probably 10-20 minutes - keep an eye on them. I used the grill and it took about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool to just above room temperature.

2. De-seed and scoop out the avocado. Squeeze lemon juice over the avocado flesh and mash to desired consistency with a fork. Set aside.

3. Toast bread slices until very toasted and crisp (in a pan or toaster oven if your bread is too large for the toaster). Smear about 2 ounces of goat cheese on each piece of bread. On top of the goat cheese, spread half of the smashed avocado. Place a few tomatoes on top of the open-faced sandwich. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper and garnish with fresh basil if desired. Serve (with a knife and fork) immediately.

The fanciest bread I had was a small artisan loaf from the Kroger bakery, so two slices of that equaled about one serving. At least that's what I'm telling myself. :) I used about half the recommended amount of goat cheese and avocado. I didn't skimp on the roasted grape tomatoes, though, because roasted grape tomatoes are on my list of Favorite Things Ever. They taste miraculous, like spaghetti sauce in solid form, and they make any dish more exciting. And all you have to do is oil and season them and toss them in a pan. Try them on a salad today!

Related: Yesterday I had a brilliant idea for indexing my recipe cards. I'm going to label them with little pictures for seasons and occasions (summer, winter, party, good to take to new parents, etc). It'll make it easier to get inspired and find what I need. I'm excited! :) And yes. I am Monica Geller. I cook AND I have 11 categories of towels.

Checking it twice.

I'm in list mode this week. This is progress, because I used to LIVE in list mode. (I don't recommend it.) But as we shift into real fall, I feel the urge to take care of things and set goals. Here are some things I want to do soon or over the winter:

- Reorganize my closet and dresser drawers. Probably this weekend, when I unpack the winter clothes. I have a lot more clothes out in winter due to layering, and now I have a whole closet and room to myself, so it's time to re-evaluate how I'm using the space. I'm excited about this. Because I am an organizing nerd.

- Make a T-shirt quilt. Throughout high school, I collected Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts. I bought them everywhere I went, and my dad also picked up a few on his international travels. Now I don't wear T-shirts anymore except for exercise, so they're sitting in a box somewhere in my parents' attic. I'd like to give them a new life, rather than getting rid of them, because they have a lot of fun memories attached. I can barely sew and have never quilted at all, but it can't be too hard with my mom helping me. Tips would be appreciated, though.

- Scrapbook my high school band years. I recently evaluated whether I should keep scrapbooking at all. I really enjoy it, but in the digital age, it seems a little redundant and outdated. I decided it would be more worthwhile if I made my scrapbooks more journally - sadly, most of my books have empty journaling spaces because I could never think of the "right" thing to say. Anyway, after spending last Saturday at a marching competition with friends, I've been flooded with happy memories. I was the band historian (shocker, I know) and thus have a ton of pictures and stuff. I actually started a band book several years ago and lost interest, but it's the perfect scrapbooking topic for the moment. Only good memories, and no potential emotional landmines relating to my current circumstances. Yay!

- Home maintenance. I've never taken my lawn mower for off-season maintenance. I've never had my chimney cleaned, and it's been making weird popping noises lately. Some of my roof shingles are missing. And obviously, since I was married to a mechanic, I've never given a second thought to a car maintenance schedule. Now I have to get familiar with all those things and more. But I can do it! I'm just thankful we replaced the entire HVAC system two years ago, because that would be extremely unpleasant to deal with (and pay for) alone.

What are some of the big to-dos on your list?